Star Online Report

The High Court on Thursday directed the government to arrest in seven days Jamaat men who forcibly administrated 16 Awami League “tauba” (oath of penance) in Panchbibi upazila of northern district of Joypurhat.

Acting on a Daily Star report, “Jamaat makes AL men ‘Muslim’” which was published on Thursday, the court also warned that legal action would be taken against the Superintendent of Police of Joypurhat if the Jamaat leaders are not arrested.

The bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik and Justice Mahmudul Hoque made the orders in a suo moto (of its own) move.

The HC also issued a rule upon the government to explain in 10 days why legal action should not be taken against the Jamaat men.

Home Secretary, Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Joypurhat, Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Panchbibi upazila and Officer-in-Charge of Panchbibi Police Station have been made respondent to the rule.

On Monday, Jamaat men in Panchbibi upazila caught 16 AL activists form Bharahuta village, forced them into a mosque and then administered “tauba” (oath of penance) saying that they were no more Muslims as they were with AL politics.

The “tauba” took place at Bharahuta Jame Mosque in front of some 300 villagers, according to witnesses.

Moiz Uddin, an imam of another mosque of the same area, administered the rare oath when local Jamaat leader Zafir Uddin and a BNP activist Abdul Khaleque were present. Zafir Uddin is locally known as Razakar.